CHICAGO (Interstat) — Halli Poock scored 38 points, including the game-winning free throws with one second remaining, to lift Murray State to a 78-76 victory over Illinois-Chicago in a tense women’s college basketball game Thursday night at UIC Pavilion.

In a contest that featured 15 lead changes and was tied 11 times, the Racers needed every ounce of Poock’s brilliance to escape with their 10th consecutive win and improve to 28-3 overall. The Flames, led by spectacular performances from Jessica Carrothers and Julia Coleman, fell to 14-16 despite a ferocious effort that nearly toppled one of the nation’s hottest mid-major teams.

The final sequence encapsulated the game’s frantic nature. With the score tied at 76 and one second on the clock, Poock was fouled by UIC’s Chantrel Clayton on a three-point attempt well beyond the arc. The 5-foot-6 sophomore guard from Waterloo, Iowa, calmly sank all three free throws to put Murray State ahead.

Illinois-Chicago’s last-gasp inbounds play resulted in a missed jumper from Carrothers as time expired, sealing the Racers’ narrow triumph.

The game’s most important stretch came in the final five minutes, a seesaw battle where neither team led by more than a single possession. After Coleman gave the Flames a 74-72 lead with a jump shot at the 1:57 mark, Murray State responded with a critical 6-0 run. Poock hit a deep three-pointer off an assist from Sharnecce Currie-Jelks with 1:04 left, and after a UIC turnover, Poock was fouled and made one of two free throws for a 77-74 edge with 35 seconds to play.

Carrothers, who finished with 27 points and 10 assists, drove for a layup with seven seconds left to cut the deficit to 77-76. On the ensuing inbounds play, the Flames immediately fouled Poock, setting the stage for her game-winning shots from the line.

Poock’s 38-point outburst came on an efficient night where she also contributed four assists. It continued a remarkable late-season surge for the guard, who has now scored at least 27 points in four of her last five games. She played 36 minutes and was the steadying force for a Murray State team that struggled at times with UIC’s defensive pressure, committing 18 turnovers.

She received crucial support from backcourt mate Haven Ford, who added 13 points, and Currie-Jelks, who posted 11 points. Keslyn Secrist played all 40 minutes, scoring 10 points and dishing four assists.

Illinois-Chicago’s effort was spearheaded by a historic dual performance. Coleman, a 6-foot sophomore from St. Louis, dominated inside with a career-high 32 points on 14-of-22 shooting, adding three blocks. Carrothers, the 5-7 junior from Highland, Indiana, orchestrated the offense with her double-double of 27 points and 10 assists, repeatedly breaking down the Racers’ defense.

Amelia Strong provided 11 points for the Flames, who shot 50 percent from the field as a team but were undone by 19 turnovers and a 12-of-21 performance from the free-throw line.

Murray State established an early lead, closing the first quarter up 18-15 behind eight points from Poock. The Flames surged in the second quarter, outscoring the Racers 22-19 to send the game into halftime tied at 37. The third quarter was a deadlock, with both teams scoring 17 points, setting up the dramatic final period where the lead changed hands nine times.

The victory completed a regular-season sweep for Murray State, which defeated Illinois-Chicago 79-77 on Feb. 15 in a similarly tight affair. According to Interstat’s ELO system, the Racers entered the game with a 90 percent probability to win.

Murray State, which has not lost since Jan. 23, will look to extend its winning streak on Saturday at Valparaiso. Illinois-Chicago will host Belmont on Saturday in its regular-season finale.

An announced crowd of 496 at the UIC Pavilion witnessed the thriller, which saw both teams display the intensity of a postseason matchup. The Racers’ poise in the final seconds, embodied by Poock’s clutch free throws, proved the difference in a game that could have swung either way until the final buzzer.